I decided to write another story, with different missing moments throughout the Harry Potter series. It's going to be mostly Ron/Hermione, but I'm going to try to include some Ginny/Harry too, maybe something about Neville. My other story, The Way We Live Now, is my top priority, so this will not be regularly updated. Also, this isn't going to be in chronological order. It's sporadic. I will make sure to include where and when the moment is taking place in each chapter.

This is the first chapter, taking place at Shell Cottage, after the encounter at the Malfoy Manor. I love reviews, hint hint.

Missing Moments:

Shell Cottage

"Hermione!" Ron shouted the minute they landed on the cool ocean shore. "Hold on!"

He picked up her unconscious, limp body, and carefully walked up the beach, out of the water. Laying her down, he stripped off his sopping sweater, and muttered a drying spell.

Then he glanced over at Hermione. She wasn't breathing. His heart stopped.

"Oh, God! Don't be dead! Wake up!" he said over and over. A memory of her voice suddenly came to his mind- "Are you a wizard or what?"

"Revenerate" he said in a slightly shaking voice. He waited one second, two seconds, three seconds before she took in gaping breath of air.

"Thank god!" he said out loud, gently moving a piece of hair out of her eyes. Then he saw Harry out of the corner of his eye. Looking over, he saw him cradling Dobby's body in his arms. Tears instantly welled in his eyes. They'd owed him so much- including their lives.

"Get help!" Ron's brain began to scream. Again, he cradled Hermione's frail body in his arms, and quickly covered the distance to Shell Cottage.

Bill met him outside. "Harry?"

"On shore."

Bill nodded. "Get her inside" he said, before rushing down to the beach.

Hermione stirred as Ron laid her on the bed in one of the guest bedrooms. He sighed a sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered open.

She looked around confused before weakly asking "Where are we?"

"At Bill and Fleur's. You're safe. How are you feeling?"

"I hurt all over" she admitted, groaning as she tried to sit up.

"Just stay lying down. Until Fleur can look you over- I don't know if anything's broken."
Hermione nodded and laid still.

They were quiet for a minute, before Ron cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Dobby's dead, Hermione."

"What!"

"Bellatrix killed him. Threw that bloody knife at him as we were leaving."

Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, and let out a sob as Ron patted her back awkwardly.

Ron couldn't help but think to himself that she looked broken. Bruises were scattered over every visible piece of skin, her bushy hair for once was limp, and she had cuts all on her face and throat- including the one that Bellatrix had made with the silver knife. But what was on her arm was even worse- the word "MUDBLOOD" dripped blood.

"What happened?" Fleur asked in her heavy accent as she bustled in.

Ron was silent for a moment. "She was… tortured."

It felt like a knife was stabbing his every time he thought of what had happened to her.

Fleur looked like she wanted to be sick, but she bravely hurried over to Hermione and began examining some of her injuries.

"This will take a while" she murmured. Then she handed Ron a tube of bruise remover.

"Why don't you start applying this? I have to get some skele-grow and something to clean her cuts."

She left the room. Ron motioned to Hermione with the crème. "Can I?"

She nodded wearily and he unscrewed the cap. Gently, he applied the cream, watching the bruises covering her face all but disappear. Then the ones on her shoulders, her arms, and her neck.

"Are there more?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

"Yes, on my back."

"Do you want Fleur to…"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Help me sit up."

He did as she asked, grimacing as if her were the one in pain as he did so.

She pulled up her shirt, exposing her lower back. It seemed as if the whole area was a bruise.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron exclaimed. "Mione! Why didn't you have me do this one first?"

"Just do it now, Ron" she said.

He finished as Fleur came into the room, carrying a bottle of skele-grow and various healing supplies. She poured a very small amount of the bone healing potion into a glass and gave it to Hermione, who choked it down.

"Just in case anything's broken" Fleur said.

She grabbed a bowl, and another bottle of potion. "I need to clean… that." Fleur pointed at the horrendous slur on Hermione's arm. "This is going to sting."

She positioned Hermione's arm over the bowl, and began pouring the disinfecting solution over the fleshy engraving.

With her good arm, Hermione frantically grabbed Ron's hand and gripped it tightly, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

Ron could barely feel his fingers, but he didn't care. Anything to help alleviate the pain she had been in, the pain she was in.

Finally, Fleur finished, and began dabbing dittany on the wounds. The cuts closed, but the words remained in the form of a pale pink scar.

"All I can do now is tell you to rest" she said as she stood up. "Out Ron. Let Hermione rest."

"But" he protested.

"Ron, I'm fine. Go help Harry. Come get me for the funeral I want to be there."

"Okay." He looked at her a moment longer, and then walked out, followed by Fleur.
Before she left, Fleur looked at Hermione again, said "try to rest" and closed the door behind her.

Hermione tossed and turned for a time, but try as she might, she couldn't come to a state that resembled sleep in the slightest. Sighing, she stood up on weak legs. There was a mirror on the closet door, which she walked over to, wanting to take stock of the damage.

The bruises on her face were beginning to disappear, but were not completely gone. The scarlet cut on her throat contrasted deeply with the ghostly white of her skin, as did "MUDBLOOD" on her arm. She tugged down on her sleeve, trying to hide the words, but it wasn't long enough. A sob rose in her throat. Was she to be ever branded- ever reminded- of what that horrible woman did, and the sickening values she upheld?

Tears cascaded down her face at her realization of this.

Someone knocked at the door, and walked into the room. Through the mirror, she saw it was Ron. Hastily, she wiped her eyes on her sleeves, but not quickly enough for him to not notice her tears.

"Hermione" he said softly, coming forward and embracing her.

Again, she couldn't hold back the tears that welled in her eyes, and she let them flow.

"I was so scared, Ron. I thought I was going to die, or that something would happen to you or Harry."

"I know" he said, rubbing circles into her back, hesitantly at first, but then a slow rhythm.

"I was scared too, Mione. More scared than I'd ever been in my life."

"I could hear you calling my name."

"I was?" Ron asked, looking down into her chocolate eyes.

"Yeah. Don't you remember?"

"All I remember was thinking 'we've got to get out of this cellar and up to Mione'. Nothing else registered."

"Well, you were."

They stood silently, her still grabbing onto his t-shirt as she cried, he still rubbing her back methodically.

Finally, he pulled away. "Harry's ready for Dobby's funeral. You still want to go?"

"Yes" Hermione said, wiping the tears off of her face with a sleeve. "Go on. I'll be out in a minute."

He left the room. Spotting a dressing gown in the slightly open bureau, she pulled it on, hoping that it would cover the cuts on her neck and arm. It did.

She slowly, but steadily walked out of the room. The rest of the group was waiting for her at the door.

"You sure, Hermione?" Fleur asked, concern evident in her eyes. Hermione nodded, and set off down the stone pathway.

But by the time she'd hiked the quarter mile to the grassy knoll where Harry was burying Dobby, she was beginning to tire. She felt tremors begin to break out through her body when she was a few feet away from Harry and Ron. Ron saw and planted a hand securely around her waist when she made it to him.

A burst of energy suddenly flowed through her.

"Alright?" Ron asked, worry evident in his voice."

"Fine" she answered, ever aware of the warm hand helping to keep her upright.

She watched as Luna walked solemnly up to the little elf and gently slid his eyes closed with her fingers. "There. Now he could be sleeping."

Harry gently placed Dobby in the shallow hole that was his grave. Again, Luna spoke up. "I think we ought to say something. I'll go first, shall I?"

Hermione barely heard her speech to the elf as she thought about all she wished to say.

The thoughts spilled over in her head, and yet she was unable to voice them. "Dobby" she wanted to say "I know I didn't know you very well. But the times I did meet you were truly an honor. You were the inspiration for SPEW, and will always be the inspiration as I help free others just like you. Thank you for giving me a chance to do that, for getting Ron and Harry and everyone else out of the cellar. And for helping save me. I wouldn't be here today without you. I'm sorry you had to die, but I can promise you, it won't be in vain."

Not a word of that speech came out of her mouth. All she could do was hope that wherever Dobby was, he heard her thoughts and understood.

The others were beginning to head back up to the house. She turned to follow them, Ron right behind her, leaving Harry to mourn the elf in solitude.

Ron and Hermione entered the sitting room, and sat there alone, grateful that Bill and Fleur had ushered the others into the kitchen. They could see Harry from the window.

"That was… tough" Ron said after a time. Hermione nodded, and semiconsciously began rubbing the pink scars on her arm.

"Will you stop?" Ron snapped at her.

"Stop what, Ron?" she asked defensively.

"Rubbing that horrible scar! It's bad enough to know that you even have it, but every time you touch it, it's just a reminder!"

"A reminder of what!"

"That I couldn't keep you safe! That I wasn't strong enough to keep the snatchers away! That I couldn't keep Bellatrix away from you! That I was locked in that cellar and couldn't get to you! That I had to listen to you screaming and wasn't able to do anything to stop it!"

She gently placed her hands on his to stop him, and pulled him up from his chair.

Her heart thudded as her eyes trained onto his lips. His head was coming closer and closer to hers. Her eyes slid shut, and then…

"I'll need you two as well" Harry called.

They jumped apart. Ron dropped her hand and backed away, before beckoning her ahead of him up the stairs, both of their faces lit up in a scarlet blush.